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ZADOK

(Heb. ṣāḏôq; Gk. Sadṓk)

1. A man of obscure genealogy who served first as high priest under David alongside Abiathar (2 Sam. 8:17), and later as sole high priest during Solomon’s long reign. That Zadok served both David and Solomon suggests that he was considerably younger than Abiathar and, like Benaiah ben Jehoiada, may have been a latecomer to David’s entourage. After Solomon had expelled Abiathar over his support for Adonijah, Zadok became sole holder of the high priestly office under Solomon and the progenitor of the Jerusalemite priesthood. This sinecure was Zadok’s reward for his support of Bathsheba and Solomon in the intrigue surrounding the succession to David’s throne (1 Kgs. 1:8, 34, 38-39). Zadok’s son Ahimaaz appears to have been one of David’s professional soldiers (2 Sam. 18:19, 22).

Although the genealogies in 1 Chr. 5:24–6:3(MT 5:29); 24:3 make Zadok a descendant of Aaron, the best evidence is that Zadok was the founder of a new priestly line, intended to replace the northern priesthood represented by the Aaronites at Shiloh and Bethel, and perhaps by Abiathar and his descendants as well. The Davidic language of the prophecy against the Aaronite Eli and his sons in 1 Sam. 2:27-36, reminiscent of the prophecy of Nathan in 2 Sam. 7, , can only apply to Zadok, and like Ps. 78:56-72 looks to replacing the northern tradition with a new one (based in Jerusalem). Many scholars look for Zadok’s origins in pre-Israelite Jerusalem, perhaps as the pre-Davidic priest-king of Jerusalem, placed into the high priesthood of Israel as a conciliatory gesture toward the conquered Jebusite majority. Thus, the Aaronite genealogies of Zadok would simply be later attempts, probably postexilic, to incorporate Zadok into the more orthodox traditions of Israel. This interpretation implies that the Zadokites’ attempt to establish themselves as a new line, replacing the old Aaronite priestly houses of the north, failed. Unable to overcome the weight of tradition, the Zadokites had to have themselves grafted onto the despised Aaronite heritage in place of Eli and his sons in order to establish their full legitimacy within the Israelite religion.

Nevertheless, during the postexilic age the Zadokites eventually did prevail in their claim to be the chosen priesthood, and they may have held the high-priestly office until the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The NT Sadducees are probably the descendants of this extremely old and conservative sect, whose members transcended their Canaanite origins to become the guarantors of the Yahwistic cultus.

2. The father of Jerusha, the mother of King Jotham of Judah (2 Kgs. 15:33 = 2 Chr. 27:1).

3. One who took part in the postexilic rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem; the son of Baana (Neh. 3:4).

4. The son of Immer who repaired the Jerusalem wall “opposite his own house” (Neh. 3:29).

5. One of the “leaders of the people” who set their seals to the covenant in the time of Nehemiah (Neh. 10:21[22]).

6. A scribe appointed by Nehemiah as one of the treasurers over the Levites’ storehouses (Neh. 13:13).

7. The father of Achim and son of Azor (Matt. 1:14) according to the Matthean genealogy of Jesus, which traces Jesus’ descent through Joseph back to the house of David. The name is not found in the Lukan genealogy, except in a single obscure manuscript (D).

Donald G. Schley/Michael S. Spence

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ZADOK

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)